This is my World
by IMiss MalevolentI
Summary: Post-F&F4 This is Letty's story. She isn't dead, exactly. She is just living a different life. But, in a twist of fate, her past is catching up with her.
1. It's been 3 years

**Introduction - This story is Letty's Story. It picks up roughly 3 years after where Fast and Furious 4 left off. Watch out for spoilers. Letty has always been my favorite character, and I feel she had always been very under-used in the movies. With her death in the 4th movie, an idea was born. And this is the product of that idea. Enjoy and review!**

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"Selena…. SELENA…"

_It had been 3 years since the FBI had picked her up off the streets. Bleeding profusely from a bullet to the chest. She had barely managed to crawl away from the car before it had been engulfed in flames. She had spent the next week in ICU. She wasn't suppose to survive. But then again, she did a lot of things she was not suppose to do._

_She wasn't suppose to race, but she did. She couldn't stay away from it. It was like a drug to her. The speed, the adrenaline. It was the only thing that kept her going from one day to another. Kept her going in a life that still felt foreign. A life that was never hers._

"Selena? HELLLLOOOO?"

_It was the life that they had gave her, unintentionally. They had pretty much dumped her on his doorstep, without ever knowing it. The FBI had released her from custody with nothing more then a couple dollars, and a 'thanks'._

_He had taken her in. Ryan Ruiz. He was the king of the streets. The guy who couldn't be beat. It wasn't hard to win though, when you where racing against a bunch of wannabes._

_Either way, it had been him who had given her a new life, a second chance. Even if she hadn't really wanted it. He had given her a roof over her head, clothes on her back, and a fix for her addiction. He gave her back racing._

"Will you do something instead of just sitting there laughing like a buffoon?"

_She had always thought he would come for her. Everyday for a year she waited, waited for him. Waited for Dom. He would come. He wouldn't just leave her alone in the world._

_But he never came._

_They had told her of his escape. His little fugitive of a sister and an ex- FBI agent had broken him out of a Prison transport bus. They told her, it wasn't safe. She couldn't go back to LA. She couldn't go back to being Letty. _

_Who where they protecting her from anyway? Dom? Braga? They never answered her questions. They just dropped her in Miami, and told her to stay there._

_And like a child, she had waited for her prince in shining armor. But that was 3 years ago. And that was Letty. She, wasn't Letty, anymore._

"Selena?" A warm hand on her shoulder nearly made her jump. She looked over her shoulder, turning away from the engine in front of her. Inquisitive green eyes met her own, "You coming with us?"

It took a minute for her to realize exactly what the green eyed boy was talking about. Looking over to the clock she found that far more time had passed then she realized. It was nearly time for the race. "Yeah," she spoke, turning back to make one final adjustment. "Let me go change real quick and we'll head out."

Ryan frowned. He had been trying to get her attention for the past 5 minutes, and she had completely ignored him. But of course, she responded to his little brother Mark. She couldn't be bother by her own boyfriend, no. But his bratty little brother had no trouble getting her attention. "Better hurry, we're already late." He snapped in a tone that was harsher then he had intended. He sighed, and turned on his heel leaving the garage. He knew she'd be mad at him for the rest of the night.

His words where lost though, as Letty was once again wrapped up in her own thoughts. She had her days. Days when she relished in what had became her world. But this, was not one of them. This was one of her bad days, when everyone knew to stay clear of her. Everyone except Ryan.

Ryan had lived a easy life. He had been in share of trouble, but his father had always paid his way out of it. He hadn't lived like her. He couldn't even begin to understand what it was like inside her head.

The race though, would make everything better, for a few days at least. It always did.

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The streets where packed that night. It was the first race of the summer, and more people then usual had turned out. All classes, all races. It was a mixing bowl of people. All who either loved to drive, or loved to watch. Either way everyone there shared a passion for cars.

The gang arrived late, but they always did. Every race night they came into the crowd last. And every time, Ryan bitched about it. But it was normal, it was the way things had always been.

Letty stared into the night as the red lights lit up on the back of the car that was just a few feet in front of her. Ryan's car. She always stayed just behind him. It was just the way things where. Her just behind Ryan, Henry just behind her, and Mark bringing up the back. They where a team. A gang as he like to call it. They where the closest thing she had to family anymore.

She continued on as Ryan pulled into the core of the crowd. She didn't want to deal with him at the moment. She wasn't in the mood. It wasn't him, not at all, but more like she wanted to spare him. He had a habit of saying the wrong things, at the wrong time, and that was something she couldn't handle at the moment.

The little red Mazda pulled down farther, finding a place between a white Eclipse and a green Honda. They where two cars she had seen before, at one race or another. Two cars, they she could beat with her eyes closed and her car turned off. She laughed at the thought as she climbed out into the street. She shook the legs of her dark jeans, the hems falling down around her dark boots. It was building, that feeling she got just when a race was getting close.

She needed to drive.

Pushing past a few people, she regretted parking so far away. She needed to talk to Anthony, she needed to make sure she was in for the night. And then, something happened that she had not expected.

Something that shook her entire world off it's axis.

"Letty?"

The name alone was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The voice it came from was another story all together.

She was almost afraid to turn around. To look and see, but she couldn't stop herself…


	2. An old friend

**[****Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I wasn't really ready with this chapter, but since everyone was so eager I did my best to finish it up. It drags on a bit, but it's necessary to the story. It'll pick up even more soon! Hope you guys enjoy. 3]**

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He looked very much the same as he did last time she had saw him. Years had passed, time had worn on him. But his eyes where the same, that off greenish color, little crows feet on the edges on either side.

"Vince?" She turned from her original path, it now forgotten all together. "What the fuck are you doing here man?" She made her way to her old friend, and pulled him in a half-hug, just like she had always.

Last time she had seen Vince, he had been laying on the ground in the desert in a pool of his own blood. She had never known what had happened to him after that. Brian had told her a couple things, back when she had originally agreed to help them with Braga, but she had still wondered about him.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." He chuckled, pulling away from Letty and looking at her. She hadn't changed a bit. Still good ole 'Rebel Without A Cause' Letty. He looked around, trying to see if he spotted Dom or Leon in the crowd behind her.

She watched him for a moment, with curious eyes. But her curiosity soon turned to a dull hatred.

"Where's Dom at?"

The smile never left his face as he asked the question. Not until he saw the change in demeanor did he realize that he had asked the wrong thing. He hadn't really put much thought into it. Ever since Letty had been around 12, she had followed Dom like a lost puppy. And somewhere along the way, he had started following her. They where always together.

It was quite obvious by the look on her face, that they weren't together.

Letty rubbed a hand against the back of her neck. She had never thought of a plan if something like this where to happen. Hell, what where the odds? She never thought that someone from her old world, would stumble into her new world. And she sure as hell hadn't thought it would be Vince of all people.

But she knew she needed to get him away. There where a lot of things he needed to know. And she didn't want to have to try to come up with a reason to explain to anyone why this crazy guy was calling her 'Letty'.

"You wanna go for a ride?"

Vince eyed her for a minute. He wasn't the smartest guy, but eventually he figured it out. Something was up. Something she couldn't talk about around all those people. "Yeah. Lemme go tell my boys."

He disappeared in the crowd, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't come back. Thought she was really losing her mind and that she had imagined it all. But as soon as she thought it, he reappeared, slipping his keys into his pocket. "You driving?" He asked with a grin.

"Oh damn right I am. Wouldn't want you getting lost." Letty laughed. Even with the nervousness she was feeling, she couldn't help but be happy. The two walked to her car, but Vince hesitated before getting in. Letty looked at him, then looked at the car. "Don't even start." She shook her head, and slid into the drivers seat.

Vince would harp her about it, there was no doubt about it, Maybe not now, but eventually, he would pick at her. Her car looked a lot like a car he had seen before. Same make, same model. A car that had belonged to his best friend, Dom.

And since when had she started liking Mazda's? She had always been more of a Nissan girl.

"Did you come to race?" It was the only question she could bring herself to ask, as she ripped through the dead street. She wasn't sure exactly where she was taking them, but she was going away from where the races would be. She wasn't prepared to run into anyone she knew, not yet.

He rubbed a hand absentmindedly on his right arm. "Nah. I can't race anymore. My arm got pretty fucked up when all that shit went bad, back on that last heist. Almost lost it. Fucked my nerves all up and shit. Can't grip the gear shift like I use to, ya know?"

The thought had never occurred to her, but she instantly regretted her question. "I tried to get you outta there Vince. We did everything we…"

"I know." He cut her off, not wanting to even think about it. He had thought about that day too many times over the past couple of years.

The car was quiet as the two zipped around the city in the little black car. Letty lost track of where they where going for a while, her mind too wrapped up in the past. When she finally brought herself to pay attention she found that they where near Cider Beach, and she figured it'd be pretty deserted.

She had been right. Apart from the occasional couple that walked down the sand in the dark, she had found a place that they could be alone. Away from any world either of them knew.

Letty climbed out of the car, a brisk sea wind nipping at her bare arms. Vince followed in suit, and the two sat up on the hood of the car. "Where where you Vince? We looked for you, after the heat died down."

He pulled a pack of Newports from his pocket, and lit one up. "I was in the hospital for a while after all that shit happened. When they finally got me stitched back together they sent me up to State for a year and a half. They couldn't nail me on much, not without Dom. So they gave me max penalty for some dumb bullshit. Reckless Endangerment, and a bunch of other crap. Whatever shit they could come up with." He took a long drag off his cigarette. The memories from prison still haunted his dreams sometimes.

"When they released me they told me they didn't want me back in California. They sent me up to New York to my Great-Aunts. I figured I'd wait it out a while then head back out west to find you guys, but one thing led to another, and I guess I kinda got sidetracked." He laughed when he thought of it. He had been so intent on disobeying the FBI. So intent on reuniting with his team. And he hadn't even made it across the US yet. It had been 8 years, and he hadn't even got off the east coast. "What about you? Last I heard you got all fucked up in a car wreck."

Letty shared his laugh. She had only been in two car wrecks. One, back when everything had went south, and she had lost Vince. The other, had been at the hands of Phoenix. She rubbed a hand across the scar on her chest. "Something like that." It was harder to keep her down, then most people knew. She had a will power, that was unbelievable at times.

"I cut a deal with the FBI, to clear mine and Dom's records, and they fucked me."

She didn't have to say anymore. Vince got the jest. They had sent her out there, just like they had sent him.

"I've missed you Let. Missed all of yal." Vince hit his cigarette one last time before flicking it in the sand. "How long you been out here?"

She was silent for a minute. "Three years." Her voice betrayed her, but only a little. Not enough for Vince to read into, not enough for him to know.

He hadn't been expecting a long time. It made him worry, not about Letty, but about Dom. "He's probably just waiting for the heat to die down. They're still on his ass." Dom wouldn't just leave Letty out there. He knew Dom, and he knew how Dom felt about her. Time couldn't change that.

A loud snort cut thick through the air, "Yeah. Whatever." Her demeanor changed quickly once again. She slid off the car, sand flying up in the air with the impact of her heavy boots. She stomped off towards the water, the fresh air calming her, only a little.

"Yo, wait up." Vince called, trailing a little behind her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. It took him only a second to catch up with her. "Me and the crew are heading out to California in a couple of days. Making a big road trip out of it. Going out for Race Wars. You should come."


	3. Marriage?

**[****Author's Note: Hiya readers. Thanks for the reviews again. I'm updating sooner then I intended. I don't really particularly enjoy writing the beginning of most of my stories. They usually start out pretty slow, but it's all necessary to the story line. I do intend to include Dom, Brian, and Mia in this story. I won't tell you when, or where, but they will be there. ;) Patience is a virtue, or so they say. Enjoy!!]**

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Race Wars. A haven for every street racer. The place to mingle, compare cars, get tips, and above all else race. The best of the best always could be found, at race wars.

Vince and his new team where making their way out to the desert. They had started out in New York months ago, and made their way down the eastern seaboard. It had been Jimmy's idea. They'd take a full road trip, all the way around the border of the continental US. The had made it from New York, to the most southern part of Florida. Miami.

Race Wars was a world away for Letty.

The two had spent hours at the beach, that night. Talking about the past couple years, and reminiscing of the past, when everyone had still been together. It was hard for her, at times, when they talked about the past. When memories she had locked away came back to her. But being with Vince, was so natural for her. She didn't have to fake anything, she didn't have to pretend, she could just be herself.

The races had long ago ended when they finally headed back to the streets. Everyone would be gathering at Ryan's, they always did. There would be booze, and drugs, and sex all around. Anything you needed, they would have.

She explained her new life to Vince on the way to the house. She introduced him to Selena Gomez. The tough girl from Cali who had never really been in any trouble. The girl who had never done anything out of the ordinary, other then a little racing here and there. Really, almost every aspect of Selena's past, was untrue to Letty's. But that made things simpler, usually.

Ryan had nearly pounced on her when she walked in the front door. His eyes where deep with concern. "Baby where have you been? I was worried about you. I thought you where going to race, and then you where just gone." His words where slurred together as he spoke. It was quite obvious that he had already had one too many drinks.

"I ran into an old friend." She pushed Ryan out of her way. She didn't like it when he got that drunk. He reminded her of nothing but the men her mother use to date.

Ryan squeezed between Vince and Letty, following her into the kitchen. He latched onto her just as she reached the refrigerator, hugging her sloppily as he nearly stumbled to the ground. "I was sooo worried about you. I don't know what I would.."

Letty looked at Vince, and rolled her eyes. "You need to go to bed." She snapped, as Ryan clutched onto her for support. She knew one of two things where going to happen. Either Ryan was going to make a complete and total fool of himself, or she could intervene and drag him up to his room. She chose for the latter.

"Stay here tonight Vince?" She asked, as she tugged at Ryan to follow her. "We've got anything you could want, beers, girls, plenty of room. Just help yourself."

Vince was more then happy to help himself. He grabbed a Corona and wandered into the crowded living room. There he found a large selection of scantily clad girls just looking to get nailed. Just like old times.

It took a few minutes, but Letty managed to get Ryan up the stairs and into his room. She nearly shoved him down into his bed, and then turned on her heels. It had been a long, stressful day. All she wanted was to take a nice long shower.

"Wait." She barely heard the word escape from his mouth, but it was enough to make her stop. "Stay with me tonight Selena." Ryan's tone changed, as he reached out for her. He nearly fell of the bed, as he outstretched his arm even further, trying to grab her. He squinted his eyes, her form nothing more then a blurry silhouette. "Please."

She sighed, but turned and went back to him. She set on the big bed, and his head collapsed into her lap. She shook her head and ran a hand through his light hair. He never could handle his alcohol. He lay there, not moving for a few minutes, and she thought he had fell asleep. But she was wrong. He pulled her into the bed, and she did nothing to stop him. There was no point.

He pulled her against his chest, and held her tightly. "Mmmm. Selena, Selena." He whispered, the feel of her body making him more at ease. "Let's get married."

Letty closed her eyes. She reached up and turned off the nightlight beside the table. Ryan always said silly things when he was drunk, and she had learned a long time ago not to pay any attention to him.

He set up behind her though, and reached over, flipping the light back on. "I'm serious Selena, I want you to marry me."

Letty rolled over onto her back, and glared up at him. "Ryan, you're drunk, and I'm tired. Can't we just some sleep?"

Ryan peered down at her, her features coming into focus. She would make, such a beautiful wife. "You think I'm just saying this cause I'm drunk?"

She didn't think, she knew.. Ryan had proposed to her more then once when he was drunk, only to just forget all about it the next morning. She leaned up, and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Go to sleep." She rolled away from him, turning the light off as she snuggled into the covers of his bed. After a moment he collapsed behind her.

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Letty woke up the next morning to find an empty bed. It was unusual. Usually when she did end up sleeping in Ryan's bed, he never woke up til she did. She glanced over at the clock, and rubbed her eyes lightly.

She nearly stumbled down the stairs. She still wanted to take that nice long hot shower she had intended to take the night before, but first she wanted to see where the hell everyone was. The house was very empty, and very quiet, for so early on a Saturday morning.

The only thing she heard, was the sound of the loud grandfather clock in the dining room, and voices coming from the kitchen.

Ryan, Mark, and Vince all looked over at her as she reached the doorway.

"Damn girl, you look like shit."

Letty flipped Vince off as she walked to the fridge. Same ole Vince, some things, never change. She poured herself a glass of OJ, and chugged it down.

Ryan watched her quietly. He still felt quite queasy from the night before, but he was glad he had got up. Glad he had spoke with her old friend Vince. "Babe, I need to talk to you."

Letty set the empty glass down on the marble countertop, and eyed the three men suspiciously. "About what?"

Mark and Vince both shrugged at the same time, then started laughing. Ryan just shook his head, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on." He whispered, leaning down to her ear, and then led her down the narrow corridor into what had become his makeshift office.

He set her down in a small chair, and pulled it up to his desk. "Selena, you know, I meant what I said last night."

Her dark eyes shifted as she stared at him. It was too fucking early in the morning for this shit.

Ryan laughed, hopping up to sit on his cluttered desk just in front of her. "Ya know, I had a long talk with Vince earlier."

A long talk with Vince? Her mind raced, trying to figure out what exactly had Vince told him.

"He seems like a pretty good guy. He certainly cares a lot about you."

Letty's eyes fluttered. Cares a lot about you? Not something someone would typically say to her, especially concerning Vince. Sure, Vince was a good friend to her. Hell, they had known one another since they where kids. But the Vince she knew, wouldn't get along with a guy like Ryan.

Ryan watched here for a moment, as she digested his words. He knew he should probably wait, she wasn't anything but a morning person. But he couldn't wait, as soon as he had seen her, he felt like he might burst. He hopped of the desk, and kneeled down before her, taking both of her small hands into his own.

"Listen Selena, I love you, more then anything in this world."

Letty nearly jumped with his sudden closeness. "Oh God Ryan, stop it." She spewed, jerking her hands from his. It was too goddamn early. She couldn't even begin to think. She looked away from him, here eyes finding the sunny sky just outside the window. It was a beautiful day…

Ryan was persistent however, and grabbed her hands once again. "Please just listen to me." He pulled at her, silently begging her to look at him.

She turned back to him, glaring at him. "What?" She sighed. All she wanted was a shower.

"Vince told me about how rough things where for you out in California. He told me… Well he told me that's why you where so messed up. He said you two had talked about going out there. About you facing your past. He seems to think it might help you move on into your future. Maybe even make you more open to starting a family…"

Vince was going to die. She decided it then and there, she was going to kill him. So messed up? What the fuck gave him of all people to call her messed up.

The more she thought about the words, the more she realized, it was a load of bullshit. She nearly laughed at herself. She would have seen it even clearer, had she not been half-asleep. That was some deep shit, way too deep for Vince to pull out of his ass.

Vince wasn't trying to fix her, Vince was trying to steal her. He was trying to get her away, to get her to race wars. He didn't want to leave her behind, and he didn't want to have to deal with her asshole of a boyfriend. Not that Ryan was really an asshole… But to Vince, any guy who wasn't Dom, wasn't right for Letty.

Her eyes softened as she looked at Ryan. He was so hopeless, so devoted to her. She felt guilty as soon as she thought about it. She was messed up. Only Ryan didn't know, there was no way to fix her. She was fucked up beyond all repair.

"Alright, so I go out to Cali, then what?" Her mind was now moving at a more normal speed as she processed everything that had been laid in front of her. She could go with Vince, go be herself for a while. Hell, maybe even Ryan would find someone else while she was gone. Someone better, someone who actually deserved to be loved by him.

Ryan smiled up at her. "Well you go out there and take care of anything you need to take care of. Go see your family, your old friends. Tie anything up that you need to. Then I'll get you a plane ticket, and you can fly back here. Then we can start our lives."

Maybe, going out there, would make things better for her. She could let go of that part of her life. She could finally let go of her past. And maybe, maybe she would really start living again.


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